The observed spatiotemporal ciliary beat patterns leading to proper mucociliary clearance on multiciliated epithelia are suspected to be the result of self-organizing processes on various levels. Here, we present a simplified pluricellular epithelium model, which intends to make the self-organization of ciliary beating patterns as well as of the associated fluid transport across the airway epithelium plausible. The model is based on a two-dimensional array of locally interacting oscillating ciliated cells. Ciliated cells are represented by Boolean actuators, and abstracted hydrodynamic mucociliary interactions are formulated in terms of logical update rules (Boolean functions). In the course of a simulation, initial random conformations of an array of actuators self-organize toward metachronally coordinated states exhibiting efficient transport of mucus. Within the framework of Boolean networks ciliated cells represent the nodes of the network and as the mucus establishes the local interactions among nodes, its distribution (together with the formulated local interactions) determines the topology of the network. Consequently, we propose to consider the dynamics on multiciliated epithelia in the context of adaptive (Boolean) networks. Furthermore, we would like to present insights gained from conducted comprehensive parameter studies. In particular, the dynamical response of the network with respect to variations of the boundary conditions, updating schemes (representing intercellular signaling mechanisms) and the proportion of ciliated cells is presented.

中文翻译：

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在组成相互作用的布尔网络的一系列局部相互作用的纤毛细胞中，自我清除跳动模式的自组织。

观察到的时空纤毛搏动模式在多纤毛上皮细胞上导致适当的纤毛纤毛清除，被认为是不同水平的自组织过程的结果。在这里，我们提出了一个简化的多细胞上皮模型，该模型旨在使睫状跳动模式的自组织以及通过气道上皮的相关流体运输变得合理。该模型基于局部相互作用的振荡纤毛细胞的二维阵列。纤毛细胞由布尔致动器表示，抽象的流体动力微纤毛相互作用是根据逻辑更新规则（布尔函数）制定的。在模拟过程中，致动器阵列的初始随机构象朝着显示粘液有效转运的同步协调状态自组织。在布尔网络的框架内，纤毛细胞代表网络的节点，并且当粘液在节点之间建立局部交互作用时，其分布（连同制定的局部交互作用）决定了网络的拓扑结构。因此，我们建议在自适应（布尔）网络的背景下考虑多纤毛上皮细胞的动力学。此外，我们想介绍从进行的综合参数研究中获得的见解。尤其是网络对边界条件变化的动态响应，